Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Drakon
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://amtuomala.com/
CITY:
STATE: NY
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2011163129
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2011163129
HEADING: Tuomala, A. M.
000 00464cz a2200145n 450
001 8802975
005 20111221074730.0
008 111020n| acannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2011163129
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca09011814
040 __ |a IlMchBWI |b eng |c IlMchBWI |d PSt
053 _0 |a PS3620.U62
100 1_ |a Tuomala, A. M.
670 __ |a Her Erekos, 2011: |b t.p. (A.M. Tuomala)
670 __ |a Her website, Oct. 20, 2011 |b (A.M. Tuomala grew up in West Virginia and lives in upstate New York)
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Hiking, researching Gothic fiction, collecting rocks, and building new worlds.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
A.M. Tuomala grew up in West Virginia and now lives in upstate New York. She writes historical fantasy and is the author of two novels, Erekos and Drakon.
Erekos
In Erekos, swamp witch Achane raises her dead sister from the dead. King Milaus of Erekos hears of Achane’s act and abducts her, asking her to create an army of the dead to fight in his long-running war. For over 300 years Erekos and Weigenland have fought over the borderland between the two countries. With Erekos now underwater from the storms of flood season, the king needs a new weapon, one he thinks Archane can provide.
Now apart from her sister, Archane needs to reconnect with her before the magic that binds them disappears, in which case, they will both die. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book a “deft creation of a complex world, filled with diverse cultures, ethnicities, and styles of magical practice.”
Drakon
Tuomala’s second novel, Drakon, is “a powerful and meticulously realized work of historical fantasy tying Russian sociopolitical movements to legends of dragons,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Dragons defected from Russia a hundred years earlier, but the Tarasov family still guards the Russian border against the Ottomans’ attacks. When they learn that there are questions about the dragons’ true nature, the family must cope with a history of betrayal in order to secure peace. The Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote: “This sophomore offering cements Tuomala’s reputation as an important current voice in the genre.”
Booklist reviewer Lynnanne Pearson was impressed with Tuomala’s second book, writing: “While the plot is complex, the author balances all the story elements very well, and the world is fully realized. Great writing, dragons, and interesting characters makes this book highly recommended.” A Historical Novel Society website reviewer wrote: “Scenes in the Russian capitals are spot-on historical fiction, evocative and real. … Definitely worth the read—if you don’t mind dragons.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 15, 2016, Lynnanne Pearson, review of Drakon, p. 34.
Publishers Weekly, July 25, 2011, review of Erekos, p. 36; October 24, 2016, review of Drakon, p. 61.
ONLINE
A.M. Tuomala Website, http://amtuomala.com (July 26, 2017).
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org (July 26, 2017), review of Drakon.*
A.M. Tuomala lives in western New York, somewhere between Niagara Gorge and the Eternal Flame. In addition to hiking those sublime landscapes, Tuomala enjoys researching Gothic fiction, collecting rocks, and building new worlds. Tuomala’s debut novel, Erekos, was released in September of 2010 by Candlemark & Gleam. Her second novel, Drakon, will be available in December of 2016.
Some of Tuomala’s favorite books are Max Gladstone’s Craft Sequence, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the Discworld series, Octavia Butler’s work, the Silmarillion, and the Octavian Nothing books. She also loves tabletop gaming and watching welding videos on YouTube.
Erekos
Publishers Weekly.
258.30 (July 25, 2011): p36.
COPYRIGHT 2011 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Erekos
A. M. Tuomala. Candlemark & Gleam (www.candlemarkandgleam.com), $19.95 trade paper (311p) ISBN 978-1-936460-03-8
Debut author Tuomala poetically crafts a complex tale of war and love. Swamp witch Achane loves her dying sister so much that she traps the
young woman's soul in her corpse as a zombi. Inspired by this tragic act, King Milaus of Erekos, who has been too long at war while his land is
ravaged by a terrible flood, kidnaps Achane and asks her to raise him an army of the dead. The motives and actions of the gods are wrapped into
the stories of peasants and kings, intertwined so that it's hard to see where the divine ends and the mortal begins. Tuomala's deft creation of a
complex world, filled with diverse cultures, ethnicities, and styles of magical practice, is couched in beautiful language that sweeps the reader
along on an adventure full of unexpected endings and consequences. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Erekos." Publishers Weekly, 25 July 2011, p. 36+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA262884798&it=r&asid=233b697f03f11ca125050fbf03fd827e. Accessed 9 July 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A262884798
---
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648078104 2/3
Drakon
Publishers Weekly.
263.43 (Oct. 24, 2016): p61.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Drakon
A.M. Tuomala. Candlemark & Gleam, $22.95 trade paper (550p) ISBN 978-1-936460-69-4
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Tuomala's first book since her 2010 debut, Erekos, is a powerful and meticulously realized work of historical fantasy tying Russian sociopolitical
movements to legends of dragons. A century after the dragons defected from Russia to the Turks, the Tarasov family still guards Russia's borders,
facing the Ottomans' living weapons with hot lead and cold determination. But the family has been split asunder. With an unexpected threat
looming amid ongoing questions about the dragons' true nature, the Tarasov brothers and sister must overcome a past fraught with betrayal to
secure peace on their land. Tuomala's neatest trick is in building her world around existing events, such as the 1861 liberation of the serfs; she
also lends extraordinary complexity and depth of emotion to her protagonists. Each Tarasov sibling is fully formed and easy to empathize with,
making it difficult to choose sides when the trio are at one another's throats. And Tuomala gives readers a rare treat: a queer heroine whose
sexuality is merely part of a rich tapestry of characterization. This sophomore offering cements Tuomala's reputation as an important current
voice in the genre. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Drakon." Publishers Weekly, 24 Oct. 2016, p. 61. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA468771814&it=r&asid=867791b8c55ed51b0921ee0936c4f2e4. Accessed 9 July
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A468771814
---
7/9/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1499648078104 3/3
Drakon
Lynnanne Pearson
Booklist.
113.6 (Nov. 15, 2016): p34.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Drakon. By A. M. Tuomala. Dec. 2016. 600p. Candlemark & Gleam, paper, $22.95 (9781936460694); e book, $6.99 (9781936460410).
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The Tarasov family has been lord in the borderlands for centuries. Of the three Tarasov siblings, Liza, Petya, and Kesha, only Liza has stayed at
their ancestral home. Her brothers have fled to St. Petersburg-- Petya for school and Kesha because of a falling-out with the family. Liza, along
with their father, guards the borderlands against the Turks and their dragon allies. When some British soldiers are quartered in their home, Liza is
suspicious of their true reasons for being there. She calls Petya home, and Kesha eventually shows up as well for a reconciliation. Soon tragedy
strikes and divides the family once again. As mysteries abound and loyalties shift, Liza, Petya and Kesha must figure out who is trustworthy, and
if they can even trust each other. The three siblings are at the core of the story, but the supporting characters are interesting and important as well.
While the plot is complex, the author balances all the story elements very well, and the world is fully realized. Great writing, dragons, and
interesting characters makes this book highly recommended for all fantasy collections.--Lynnanne Pearson
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Pearson, Lynnanne. "Drakon." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2016, p. 34. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473788249&it=r&asid=fca54f9e32b8b9d152e1cd8288826fd6. Accessed 9 July
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473788249
Drakon
BY A. M. TUOMALA
Find & buy on
Chekov with dragons. Mildly steampunkish Dostoevsky. Yes, there will be Russian names, but they are cleverly handled so there is no confusion.
In 1881, two brothers, Kesha and Petya Tarasov—the one interested in philosophy and religion, the other an engineer with dreams of flight; the one a thief of his family’s money and a rebel, the other faithful—are called back from their studies in St. Petersburg to the family fortress on the desolate ice-bound Turkish border to help in the ongoing battle against Turkey. Turkey’s secret weapons are dragons, their bodies full of incendiary gases, which fled Russia one hundred years previously and now aid the enemy. Manning the fortress are Vladimir, the cruel, hard-drinking, cursing father, and his pants-wearing, dragon-slaying, Gatling-gun-swinging favorite daughter, Liza. English allies? spies? get billeted at the fortress, too, and one dark night on his way home from the local tavern, Vladimir is murdered in the snow. Dark, Chekovian family politics ensue, with a mostly happy and satisfying ending.
Scenes in the Russian capitals are spot-on historical fiction, evocative and real. Kesha stumbles upon hidden, forbidden dragon texts and learns the language of shrieks and screams, writes messages in the snow for low-flying dragons to read. Did you know dragons write poetry? The dragons are very well-drawn so you can believe in them, too. The scenes in Turkey are brief but interesting. I would have liked more. In a sequel?
Definitely worth the read—if you don’t mind dragons.